Legacy of the Jedi
by p.c. andrews
Summary: This is the sequel to Legacy of the Sith, where Vader has brought ObiWan back to life, and many complications result from it.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Star Wars. And I still don't own Ewan McGregor..._

_Note: This is the sequel to Legacy of the Sith. Sorry it took so long to post it._

Legacy of the Jedi

Chapter 1: Not the Beginning, Not the End

Darth Vader sat before a holographic screen, trying his very best to process the information flashing before him. The Death Star's whereabouts are still unknown. The Imperial Fleet surrounding the Endor system is just sitting there, probably as stunned as the Rebel Alliance Fleet that the huge space station suddenly _disappeared!_

Vader wondered, very briefly, how Palpatine would have reacted to this news, if he had lived long enough to hear it...

With the death of Darth Sidious, Vader had become the Master Darth. Incidentally, he was also now Emperor, according to Palpatine's Last Will and Testament, which was left on a tiny hard drive left in a secret safe. One would think that Vader was, at that moment, the most powerful man in the galaxy. Ironically, he'd never felt more helpless in his entire life.

At Palpatine's insistence, a new Death Star had been constructed. The plans had been purposely leaked by the Empire to the Rebel Alliance, in hope that they would try and attack the station, thinking that it was defenseless. But all along, the laser aboard the Death Star was operational, and a trap was supposed to sprung for the rebels.

However, there were unforseen developments that have hurled those careful plans into total chaos. The most significant development had been Palpatine's unexpected terminal illness. It had prevented the once-mighty Master of the Sith from even making it to Endor, where the Death Star was being constructed. Despite this, Palpatine struggled to keep his condition as secret as possible; not even Vader was told. It was only by the will of the Force that Vader happened to return to Coruscant to find the dying Emperor in his chambers...

Vader recalled what he had done when he found the frail, pathetic form of Darth Sidious with his old lightsaber in hand, ready to _attack_ him. Some would have called it a mercy killing, but others would have called it murder... He put Palpatine out of his misery. So, even though, among the Sith, Vader's lightsaber blow would have been considered more than fair, indeed, was considered an honor, most people do not understand the ways of the Sith. Including Grand Admiral Thrawn...the one who had been entrusted to to oversee the final stages of construction of the second Death Star

Vader's very first act as Emperor had been to order Thrawn to evacuate the Death Star so that the Imperial Fleet, under his order, would destroy the station. Thrawn had decided that he would keep it for himself, since Palpatine had given him separate orders, long ago, to protect the station at all costs, even from Darth Vader. So, in the midst of the Battle of Endor, he took the Death Star into hyperspace, shocking everyone.

Though he could ill afford it, Vader smirked; all the plans that the Rebel Alliance had made to try and destroy the Death Star were in vain. From what Vader had heard, Rogue Squadron hadn't even gotten within a kilometer of the station before Thrawn pulled out of Endor's orbit. That news had come from his old Jedi Master, General Obi-Wan Kenobi. It appeared the Rebel Alliance had welcomed him, and Jedi Master Yoda, to take part in the attack.

Master Kenobi, who Vader had killed four years ago on the first Death Star, was now alive again. Darth Vader had found out the secret of manipulating the midiclorians to create and sustain life, a trick that only one of the most legendary of Sith had been able to perform. So, as revenge for appearing whenever the hell he wanted and gnawing on Vader's conscience whenever he did, Vader pulled Obi-Wan from the netherworld of the Force back into the living realm.

At least, that was Vader's official reason for doing it. The opposite of killing! Quite a switch for him, "Death Incarnate." The _unofficial_ reason? Well, maybe, just maybe, Vader missed Obi-Wan. A little. Very little. He was a judgmental, persecuting, nasty intellectual, in Vader's opinion. But he was also a damned good teacher. And Vader's son was still lacking proper Jedi training, and though apparently Luke had found Yoda on Dagobah and did some training with him, his obligations to the Rebel Alliance made it difficult to remain in seclusion so long. Worried that any number of calamities could befall the young man, Vader demanded that Obi-Wan Kenobi complete Luke's training.

Vader could not ignore the maddening voice inside him that always reminded him of his nightmares. Yes, Luke had trained with Obi-Wan, and his skills were supposed to be complete. With his newfound confidence in the Force, Luke had himself and Master Yoda smuggled aboard the Death Star by Han Solo and Chewbacca. Thanks to the efforts of the tiny party, the laser that was capable of blowing up entire planets aboard the Death Star was not operational at the moment. They sabotaged the laser, with the idea of keeping Thrawn from using it against the Rebel Fleet or possibly the forest moon of Endor itself. But now, because the team had not managed to leave the Death Star before Thrawn blew out of there, they were trapped on the station.

He hadn't gotten that story from Obi-Wan. No, the only way he knew any of that information was because his secret new Sith Apprentice had told him, through the mental bond the Master and Apprentice develop over time. It was far more powerful than a communicator, and virtually undetectable, except possibly by the Jedi nearby. According to his apprentice, Vader's son, along with Yoda and the Wookiee, were trapped in a ray shield. At this very moment, his apprentice was on his way to central control to shut the ray shields down.

* * *

Han Solo had been alone before. It never used to bother him. Back before he'd rescued Chewie from Imperial officers hell-bent on killing him for trying to escape a lifetime of slavery, he'd lived up to his name. He had been solo. It was only very recently that he learned that, even in moments like this one, he was never really alone.

He was aboard the deadliest superweapon ever created, one lone rebel, among thousands of Imperial stormtroopers and officers, some of whom he might actually know from his own days as Lieutenant Solo of the Imperial Navy. Boy was he worried one of them might run into him! So far, he'd been lucky--no. According to his master, there was no such thing as luck. At first, Han thought that was ridiculous; how many times had Han relied on luck to get him out of trouble, to get him money, to be in the right place at the right time?

But Darth Vader had shown him, one fateful night on Tatooine a few months ago, just how little _luck_ really had to do with Han Solo's survival, and how much _the Force_ was responsible...

Han now had a blaster in one hand, and a lightsaber in the other. And if his master had his way, Han wouldn't carry the blaster at all.

From the details of the Death Star plans that he'd memorized, Han knew that Central Control was only a few stories up from his current location. He wished that Luke had thought to bring Artoo with him; the astromech droid might have been able to deactivate the ray shields that held Luke, Yoda, and Chewie trapped a few floors down. As it was, he had to get to the central control to free them before troopers arrived to retrieve the Jedi and the Wookiee.

But even if he gets them free, they still can't get out of the Death Star until it drops out of hyperspace! And even if they get out of the Death Star, when the hell would they be? Would the Rebel Alliance be able to find the Death Star in time? What if Thrawn repaired the laser before that? Han had a sinking feeling that there was a repair crew already hard at work down there.

Han also had a sudden, horrible thought that Leia might not be safe. He was not happy that Kenobi had stayed down on Endor with her. It turned out that Leia was feeling a lot more for Obi-Wan Kenobi than just respect for the Jedi Master. The spark for the seething hatred, the fuel Han needed to get himself at his peak of power, was the memory of seeing Obi-Wan and Leia in a passionate kiss. In that moment, Han had found out what was most important to him in this entire galaxy, and just how easily he could lose her! To this end, he decided to confront the one who had set this entire chain of events into motion: Darth Vader! And it was during that confrontation that Han's life completely changed forever...

Up ahead, he saw a line of troopers marching down the endless corridor. Swiftly stowing the lightsaber and blaster out of sight, Han played it cool. After all, he was dressed in Imperial uniform. And the troopers were to always obey anyone in uniform... A sneaky smile crossed his lips, and he called the Force to his aid.

Stepping out ahead of the line, Han cleared his throat. The Force has a strong effect on the weak minded, indeed. "Troopers, we're needed in the central control room. Follow me," he ordered them. All the clones turned to the other Imperial officer, a captain. He was the one who needed the Force mind trick...

"Oh, what, um, Lieutenant...?" the captain stammered.

"Lieutenant Draygo, Captain. We're needed in central control as a guard in case of attack. Grand Admiral Thrawn beleives that the rebels that infiltrated before we took off might try to gain access."

"Oh, yes, of course, please, lead the way," the young captain stammered, eager to please. Han smirked slightly as he took control of the clone stormtroopers and led the way...

* * *

Luke Skywalker, new Jedi Knight, was trapped in what Master Yoda called a "ray sheild." Luke had never heard of such a thing. Chewbacca and Yoda, however, both informed Luke that it was, indeed, a weapon that was used against Force-sensitives to imprison them. He would not be able to bust out, even with his lightsaber.

"Chewie, can _you_ get out?" Luke suddenly asked.

Chewbacca growled, then Yoda glared at Luke. "If he cared not about getting burned to death, he could," Yoda snorted.

"Sheesh, it was just a thought," Luke grumbled. He hated being immobile. Even as a child, Aunt Beru's worst punishment for him was to make him sit still in his bedroom. He got bored easily. "How come Han wasn't able to blast the controls?"

"Effective, ray sheilds are, as long as no allies of Jedi could blast the controls, yes? In days past, Jedi had Clone troopers as allies. The Seperatists learned quickly to keep the controls sheilded from blasters," Yoda explained.

"Clone troopers, a lot like the stormtroopers the Empire has now...it must have been such a different galaxy back then. I mean, who would have even thought that this Thrawn fellow would have been smart enough to put ray sheilds in the Death Star to begin with?" Luke moped.

"Use this time to meditate, you should," Yoda reminded Luke. And he followed his own advice. Luke watched Yoda settle into the serene state of concentration on nothing. It served to inspire Luke to do the same thing. Finally, his meditation skills had sharpened. He could now manage to shut out virtually all distractions for at least ten minutes. He had been taught, by both Yoda and Obi-Wan, than a Jedi can only truly transcend through deep meditation.

What was transcending, though? Luke closed his eyes and cleared his mind of his concerns about Han, Leia, and even his father. He found himself thinking about where he'd like the new Jedi Temple to be. He hadn't discussed this with either Obi-Wan or Yoda yet. But he didn't want it to be on Coruscant. No doubt, if they even went for the idea of having the New Temple somewhere else, they'd want to know where it would be. An amusing vision of taking over Jabba's Palace, which was also where the B'Omarr Monks dwelled, made Luke smirk in his meditation.

The image of a jungle then took over. Luke thought he recognized the place. There seemed to be some buildings there, but they were vine-covered to the point of being nearly invisible. then in a flash, Luke remembered the place. It was the fourth moon of Yavin! Where the Rebel Alliance had made their base back when he first joined them. It was where, in a way, he had transcended, from farm boy to pilot extrordinaire...

A slithering sensation crept up Luke's neck. His eyes flew open. Through the hazy ray shield, he thought he could see two short gray shapes. Bipedal, definitely sentient alien beings of some sort. Luke shivered. These beings were _not_ friendly...

"Master?" Luke spoke sharply to Yoda.

"See them, I do. Can do nothing, yet..." Yoda answered. Chewie began growling loudly. It appeared that Luke wasn't the only one who didn't like the looks of those creatures. "Careful, my friend. Know these beings, I do now," Yoda warned Chewie. "Noghri, they are. But why do Noghri walk this ship?"

"Our Clan Brother, to whom we owe an eternal Honor Debt, has us protect Grand Admiral Thrawn," one of them answered in a soft hissing sort of voice.

And with that introduction, a squad of stormtroopers escorted a tall humanoid male dressed in a bright white Imperial uniform. Upon closer look Luke could see the light blue color of his skin and of course, the red eyes. "And so, here we have the notorious Luke Skywalker!"

"Thrawn," Luke responded quietly.

"Yes. You are supposedly the one that even the all-powerful Darth Vader couldn't catch." Thrawn's red eyes scanned all three of his captives. "I'm afraid we haven't met, Jedi..." Thrawn began with a searching tone.

"Jedi Master Yoda," Luke supplied.

"Indeed! Well, you can't say that the Rebel Alliance doesn't send the very best, can you? It's an honor, actually, to meet someone of your reknown, Master Jedi. It will be an even bigger honor to execute you later." he grinned tightly. "Chewbacca? Yes, I noticed you all on the video feeds. Which makes me wonder where Captain Solo is. Yes, I know he's here..."

As if on cue, the ray sheild dissolved around the three rebels. The stormtroopers closed in around them, even as Chewie roared and aimed his blasters. Luke's and Yoda's green lightsabers lit up the corridor. "Well, looks like I got my answer. Fire!"

The stormtroopers began shooting, and over the blasterfire, Thrawn called to the two Noghri. "Follow me back up the central control!" After all, it was looking much more like Solo was going to be a bigger problem than he'd first thought...

Luke wanted to follow Thrawn as he made his retreat, but first, he'd have to cut through all these troopers. Yoda fought valiantly, and Chewie was taking down as many as he could, but Luke couldn't, in good conscience, leave them behind. t was all the Jedi could do to keep from getting hit. In the meantime, Thrawn slipped away, taking his two Noghri bodyguards with him.

* * *

Another ship was in hyperspace at that moment, but headed in the opposite direction as the Death Star. Obi-Wan was ordered to take Princess Leia back to Coruscant. They left Endor in his ship, the _Phoenix,_ a Nubian passenger cruiser that Vader had given him when he first agreed to take Luke on as a Padawan. Obi-Wan had trouble figuring out why he was still taking orders from Vader. Surely he didn't still owe him any allegience, especially how he'd tried (more than once) to undermine what Obi-Wan had tried to do for Luke. Especially after Vader had admitted that he'd tricked Obi-Wan in a most cruel fashion to compel him to do his bidding!

Every so often, the moment of Obi-Wan's painful re-entry into a living body played in his mind. Vader's power in the Dark Side of the Force was surely complete! Anakin Skywalker now knew how to lie. He told Obi-Wan that he had the ability to kill Obi-Wan's new body and keep his soul trapped inside, make him into a rotting corpse, if he didn't obey his orders. A nasty lie, designed to keep Obi-Wan down at heel, using fear to control him. But was it really a lie?

Had Vader really changed his mind? Had he really forgiven Obi-Wan for what happened on Mustafar? Was Anakin Skywalker really restored under all that armor? Obi-Wan watched Princess Leia, who looked deeply depressed and sullen in her seat nearby. If those things were true, then it would also mean that Obi-Wan really was free from that evil threat of becoming a living corpse. It also meant that Darth Vader had a new apprentice after all; his apprentice Sith had attacked Obi-Wan in the cave on Dagobah. Unbelievably, it was Han Solo! With a Lightsaber? And he was damned good with that lightsaber! Nearly killed Obi-Wan in an impromptu duel!

_Just wait until Princess Leia found out about that!_

But had it all been a weird dream? After all, when he last saw the space bum that Leia was in love with, Obi-Wan had tried, in vain, to sense the Force was with him! And if Han Solo wasn't really a Sith apprentice, then all of the other things that had happened in that cave were false. This was why Obi-Wan was in such a conundrum. And this was why, when Vader ordered that Leia be brought to the captial of the Empire, he still obeyed.

The uncertainty was gnawing at Obi-Wan. But if he made one bad move, a painful death awaited him. A bad move would be considered: disobeying Vader, bringing back the Jedi order, and acting on his feelings for Leia. That would be considered an especially bad move! And he hated it, because he wanted to go over to Leia, to comfort her, to tell her that everything would be alright.

At his other side, Obi-Wan sensed the Force at work. He glanced to his left, and there was Qui-Gon, the infamous "netherworldjedi" who began texting Luke just to tell everyone that he was still dead. The Jedi Master who, accidentally, had found the path to true immortality. Which was ironic, since he, more than any other Jedi that Obi-Wan had ever known, was attuned so very much to the Living Force.

_/I know that look on your face, Master. I think I'm about to get a lecture.../_

"How many times must I tell you, Obi-Wan Kenobi? You must stop worrying!" the ethereal Jedi Master admonished him.

_/If you encountered Vader's new apprentice like I had, you'd be worried too! Especially if you couldn't prove he even is a Sith/_

"Obi-Wan, get a midiclorian count on your rival, if you're not certain. That's all I can say about that subject..." Qui-Gon advised him cryptically. Out of the corner of his eye, Obi-Wan noticed Leia perk up.

"Obi-Wan, is there...something...here?" she asked.

"It is a presence you are sensing, Leia. My Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, sometimes appears to communicate with me."

"Oh, like you used to do with Luke?" Leia asked. "I wonder why you never tried to communicate to _me_ that way."

"I..I don't know why I didn't. Well, it's obvious that you will need to be trained in the ways of the Force, Leia," Obi-Wan dithered.

"I want _you_ to train me!" Leia decided instantly. Obi-Wan had a sudden bad feeling that this was another one of the things Vader would put on Obi-Wan's NOT-TO-DO list. In spite of this, Qui-Gon was nodding enthusiastically on Obi-Wan's other side. The idea of Obi-Wan and Leia together seemed to oddly appeal to the late Jedi Master.

Well, that was nice, Obi-Wan supposed. After all, everyone else seemed dead set against it. Were they right?


	2. Chapter 2

Legacy of the Jedi

Chapter 2: Two Odd Couples

Han was able to sense Luke and Yoda once the ray sheild had been deactivated. He immediately put his own sheild back up. A trick only Sith knew how to manage. It was passed down from Master to Apprentice. Of course, his own master, Darth Vader, didn't bother hiding his Force ability from others, since it was mostly pointless; anyone who knew him, or knew of him, knew he was Force-sensitive. But the Sith have been able to successfully hide themselves from the Jedi for thousands of years using this simple trick. One the Jedi knew nothing about...

"Um...Lieutenant. Why did we just free those prisoners?" the young captain asked Han.

Han whipped out the blaster. "Don't ask dumb questions if you want to live, Captain." For good measure, Han blasted the control panel. No more ray sheilds for Thrawn. "Put that out, Trooper!" Han ordered as he coughed and waved the smoke out of his face.

Just then, Han got jumped by two gray alien creatures. The Imperial officers and troopers backed away. Central control was rather tight quarters, and one bad move could send the entire station completely out of whack. But Han found it kind of difficult to think about being careful when two short creatures with sharp eyes and even sharper teeth were all over him.

Han managed a few wild shots, but without using the Force, he couldn't get too much more accomplished. Thrawn allowed himself a bit of a smirk as the two Noghri subdued Han, had him down on the duristeel floor. "That was not a very good idea, Captain Solo. Oh, excuse me, it's...Lieutenant Vykk Draygo," Thrawn drawled. "Tell me, which Hutts were you running for when you first used that old alias?"

"What's this? Han Solo Trivia Time?" Han snorted.

"I like to know about my enemies, Solo," Thrawn replied with a slight shrug.

Han smirked this time. "Oh, I bet there's _loads_ you don't know about me, even if you've checked out ol' Vykk!"

"Karbarakh, have you disarmed him?" Thrawn asked, suddenly bored with quizzing Han. Silently, the younger of the two Noghri handed Thrawn a blaster...and a lightsaber. Suddenly, Thrawn didn't seem so bored. "I had no idea you'd taken to carrying a lightsaber! I met Jedi Master Yoda downstairs a little while ago. I suppose he's got every rebel in the galaxy carrying one these days, hmm? Well, I think I'll relieve you of these. Captain, get this one into the brig. No doubt, his friends will eventually miss him. Rukh, come with me. Karbarakh, you cover Solo until he is safely enclosed in a cell. Then, we have a little call to make to Lord Vader."

Han was pretty pissed about his lightsaber. Vader was going to give him hell for that one. It would be nice if he knew when the Death Star would reach it's destination, wherever that was. That was when he'd cut loose, he decided. In the meantime, he'd keep his eyes on this gray creature, this Karbarakh.

* * *

"My lord Emperor, the _Phoenix_ has arrived." 

In response to that, Darth Vader rose from the holoscreen at last. "Excellent. Please escort the passengers to my quarters." The servant bowed out. At least this one was not like the ghastly Helkin, Palpatine's now-deceased personal manservant. A traitor, at least to Vader. He was the one who contacted Thrawn about Palpatine's death, and told him that Vader had killed the rightful emperor, to boot.

Well, now his daughter was on Coruscant! Leia would be invaluable to him now, just so long as she could put her anti-Imperial feelings aside. As for Obi-Wan, Vader already had plans for him. His stay on Coruscant would be very short, indeed.

Vader watched Leia and Obi-Wan walk in. He had heard that the Jedi Master was getting much closer to the princess than he should. But this was the very first time he actually ever saw them both in the same room. For a few minutes, Vader just studied them. They both _seemed_ to be hiding their feelings for one another. But Vader knew better. He knew all too well how to hide an affair. What to watch for, the clues that they always assumed no one would see, except one who knows how to look for them. Indeed, Obi-Wan needed to be far away from Princess Leia. Preferably permenantly. After all, did he really _need_ Obi-Wan alive anymore?

* * *

"Suddenly, I've got a bad feeling about this, Obi-Wan," Leia breathed as they followed a nondescript human servant through the Imperial Palace. "I feel like Vader's watching us. I think he _knows_ about us." She glanced behind her, hoping that the Crimson Guards bringing up the rear hadn't heard her. 

Obi-Wan was almost about to reach for her hand to hold it, but he remembered at the last second that he had to keep this as quiet as possible. "It's very likely he's heard _something_ about us by now, Leia."

"I'm telling you, if he starts anything at all, even the Force isn't going to help him," Leia growled.

"I don't think he's going to start any trouble, yet. After all, he needs you, Leia," Obi-Wan reminded her.

"It's all going to come out, about me and Luke, isn't it? I just hope I'm nowhere near Mon Mothma when she hears it..." Leia sighed miserably.

Obi-Wan chuckled a bit. "I think you'll be getting a reprieve, even if it's only temporarily. After all, if word got out about you and Luke to this Grand Admiral Thrawn, Luke will be in even greater danger than he is now. Even Vader hasn't gone that mad yet!"

"I'd rather he not tell anyone ever!" Leia confessed. "At least when Palpatine was alive, Vader had incentive to keep quiet. Now, he's got no one to answer to!"

"You're wrong, Leia. He's got you and Luke to answer to..." Obi-Wan assured her. Then, he sensed the Force in his former Padawan, stronger than ever. _I hope he's got Luke and Leia to answer to,_ Obi-Wan thought unhappily, _because I don't trust him at all!_

The doors of the Emperor's chambers slid open. Vader swirled around to face his daughter and his old Jedi Master. With a wave of his black gloved hand, the Crimsons receded into the black shadows."I appreciate your promptness," Vader began, trying to gain some sort of read on Leia's emotions.

"We have a crisis on our hands. And you needn't worry about placing blame right now. After all, we've got years after this incident to hash all that out. Do you know the Death Star's whereabouts yet?" Leia asked crisply.

"I do not believe it came out of hyperspace yet," Vader answered just as crisply.

"How could it still be in hyperspace? Where the hell could this Thrawn person be taking it?" Obi-Wan sputtered.

"As to that, I have some theories, and none of them are comforting," Vader admitted. "Most likely, Thrawn would take the Death Star out of Imperial Space altogether. For many years, he had a fleet that explored regions of space far beyond the Outer Rim."

"The Wilds?" Leia breathed. "He could be anywhere! How will we ever find him?"

"Why send him out to the Wilds? The Jedi Order had vast records on the regions beyond the Outer Rim," Obi-Wan asked.

"Well, you didn't think I was going to tell Sidious about them, did you?" Vader nearly laughed.

"Hmm, so you sent this Thrawn on a fool's errand for years, and you never thought think he'd try to retaliate? Vader, Vader, Vader! Don't you know by now that once you get into the habit of treating people like dirt that you need to keep one eye on your back at all times, to make sure that no one sticks a vibroshiv in it?" Obi-Wan reprimanded him.

"One of the very first lessons of the Sith," Vader countered, and Obi-Wan's smug expression dissolved. "Besides, what would Thrawn know about the Jedi Order's Archives?"

"I don't know. You tell me," Obi-Wan argued.

"Please, both of you, we need to contact him, no matter how far away he may be, before he starts blowing planets up," Leia shuddered.

"The laser is disabled, for the time being," Vader assured her. "Your brother and the rest of whatever party you sent up to the Death Star managed to acheive their goal. That's why Thrawn hasn't already started shooting."

"Hmm...and how is it that you know all that?" Obi-Wan asked, knowing the answer, of course, but making a point of letting Leia know her father was hiding Something Big.

"That's for me to know and you not to find out," Vader answered peevishly. Leia gave her father a pointed look, but before she could say anything else, a ventilation duct grating fell out of the wall. Obi-Wan and Leia looked puzzled in a shocked way, but Vader merely checked his chronometer. "You know, you _could_ have just come in," he sighed.

To Leia's and Obi-Wan's surprise, a man slid out of the ventilation duct. He seemed a bit familiar to them. "My apologies, Uncle D. So...I hear Grandpa's dead? Oh, you have company too?"

Vader sighed again. "Jixton, yes, the Emperor has become one with the Force."

"Let me guess, he became a Lightsaber Kebob?" Jixton guessed.

Vader placed his fists on his hips, a sure sign of annoyance. ""Jix, don't be crude! I'd like to remind you that I am now the Emperor!"

"Uh oh!" Jix gasped before he could stop himself.

"Our thoughts exactly!" Obi-Wan cut in.

Jix looked at Obi-Wan more carefully. "Oh, now I know where I've seen you two before. On Tatooine, in Mos Espa."

"Yes, indeed. I am Obi-Wan Kenobi," he told Jixton, holding out his hand.

Jix took it, shaking his head. "Obi-Wan Kenobi? An actual _Jedi Master?"_

Vader sighed, "Jix, you can be so easily impressed sometimes."

"Yes, you're...Lando Calrissian's friend? And an agent of Vader's?" Leia gasped.

"Shhh! No one's supposed to know about Vader's nephew," Jix warned Leia lightly.

"As to why I called you here," Vader interrupted, breaking the momentary banter. "We have a top priority situation." Briefly, he outlined the dilemma with the Death Star.

"So, what do I do? Break in there?" Jix asked.

"If you have the opportunity, that would certainly be a help. But regardless, I'm sending you and Obi-Wan to the Fleet at Endor. Redezvous with the _Executor_ and await my further orders."

"The _Executor?_ Who's in charge there?" Jix asked.

"I have given Admiral Piett full reign, Jixton."

"Great! He'd better be _Grand_ Admiral Piett after all this is over. So, where'd ol' Red Eyes take the Death Star?" Jix asked.

Obi-Wan's brows drew down. "Red Eyes? You mean that Thrawn is an alien?"

"We don't know. And yes, Thrawn is a humanoid alien," Vader answered dismissively.

"And so now we know why he was sent into the Wilds in the first place," Leia told Obi-Wan.

"Princess Leia, he was not sent to the Wilds because he is an alien!" Vader countered.

"Um, with all due respect, Grandpa's xenophobia was probably the worst kept secret in the galaxy, Uncle D."

"He was _not_ xenophobic! His first apprentice was an alien!" Vader argued.

"As you can see, Vader can be a bit naive when it comes to his late Master," Obi-Wan told Jix.

"Alright, that's it! I'm sick of being nice to you both! I want you both in the _Phoenix_ and off-planet in thirty minutes," Vader growled.

"Love you too, Uncle D! Come on, Master Kenobi, let's see how fast that ship of yours can really go," Jix grinned as he started to leave.

"Be careful, Obi-Wan," Leia cried, gripping his hand. Vader pretended not to see it.

After they left, Leia turned to her father, and saw his great shoulders hunched down, and he was sitting against a windowsill. Cautiously, she approached him. "Father..." she began, "You know what's going on aboard the Death Star. How do you know these things?"

"Leia, please! I can't tell you! Not now. All I know is that your brother and Master Yoda had been trapped in a ray shield the last time I had heard anything. Do you know what that means? It means they had been captured! I have very little hope that he will survive this. I'm just grateful that I at least have my daughter with me."

"I'm scared for Luke, and Han. But I have to keep hoping that everything will turn out alright. I trust Obi-Wan can do something to help," Leia told him.

"I don't. I just wanted him gone, out of my sight. I'm sure he'll try to do something. But the best chance that your brother has is to work with Thrawn on this. _You_ need to convince him that I am the rightful Emperor, and that he needs to turn the Death Star over to me so that we can commence with its destruction."

"Wow, you don't ask much do you? The Rebel Alliance will _never_ allow..." Leia began.

_"How could you bother about them at a time like this? This is your brother we are talking about here, Leia! He and you are all I care about now! Your Rebel Alliance can go to hell for all I care!"_

"You mean you'll step down after this crisis is over?" Leia asked.

"We shall see, my daughter. Let's first get your brother back, and then we will talk about what comes next..." Vader sighed.

_Sorry about the chapter being a little slow, but I had a hard drive crash on the old computer and couldn't get to this file until today._


	3. Chapter 3

Legacy of the Jedi

Chapter 3: What Color is Your Lightsaber?

Leia wanted to cry, but she knew she couldn't dare. Leave it to her father to come up with the most outrageous, most odious request he could! She had met Grand Admiral Thrawn once, before his promotion, back when she was still a member of the Imperial Senate. She struggled to recall everything she could about him. Unfortunately, there were few details forthcoming. So instead, she decided to divert her father's attention for the moment. "You're right, Luke should be our top priority right now. In fact, I think I want to try and contact him."

This made her father spark to life at once. "So, you _can_ speak to him through the Force?" he asked eagerly.

"I've never tried from this far away, but I've been able to hear him telepathically in the past. But I'm not all that good at it. Do you have any tips? Do you have a quiet place I can go to?" Leia asked.

"I certainly do. Come with me; I have a special meditation chamber," Vader told her. She followed him to a room with nothing in it except a mechanical sphere-type structure. "This chamber is one of a few I've had specially made over the years. I used this one earlier on in my service to Palpatine. Once I moved out of here, to my own place, I've had one made for there. I have one aboard _Executor_ (which I hope no one is playing with right now)," Vader explained.

"Why do you think they would?" Leia asked.

"They've always been curious about my ways. I just hope Piett can keep them behaved. After you settle in, close it up, and I will instruct you," Vader told her.

"Gee, you didn't ask me if I was claustrophobic," Leia commented.

"Trust me, you don't feel it at all, especially once you enter a deeper alpha state," Vader assured her.

"I should trust you?" Leia asked again.

"Princess," Vader growled softly, "if you please?" Leia glowered but then stepped into the meditaiton chamber. She noticed that the seat sort of made her sit cross-legged, so that's how she sat down. She drew a deep breath and watched the top half descend and seal her in.

"Can you hear me?" Vader asked.

"Perfectly," Leia answered. "Okay, what do I do now?"

"Keep breathing, deep down, and clear your mind of all concerns and worries..." Vader advised her. The lights in the chamber dimmed to a warm, amber glow. Leia knew little about meditation. She'd only known how to clear her mind so interrogation became more difficult under the influence of glitterstim, as Bail Organa had taught her years ago. This time, she knew, she was going to have to go beyond just clearing the mind.

"Now, think of Luke. Not where he might be, or whether he is in trouble or not. Just think of him..." Leia had a little trouble not picturing Luke trapped in a cell on the Death Star. That was where the real work of clearing her mind was going to be. She let her eyes settle on a single recessed light bulb in front of her, in the wall of the chamber. This focus helped her empty her mind of scenes of the Death Star, and just Luke face filled her mind instead. Perfect!

_/Luke/_ she began...

Luke had been running through what seemed like endless tunnels when he thought he heard Leia's voice in his mind. It made him stop short, gasp, "Wait!" to Yoda and Chewie, and then answer her voice, _/Leia?/_

_"Luke!"_ Leia gasped, then waited a second. "Oh, no, I lost him..."

"Try again Leia, you're doing just fine! Now, remember, just relax and only focus on Luke. Once you make a firm contact with him, you can find out what is going on aboard the Death Star," Vader advised her. Leia did the deep breathing again, but this time, she heard Luke before she cleared her mind...

* * *

_/Leia, can you hear me?/_ Luke struggled to send through the Force. Yoda saw that Luke was having trouble, so he signalled to Luke and Chewbacca to follow him to a short passage that was more out-of-the-way. Luke frowned. "Master Yoda, I thought I heard her!" 

"And heard her, you might have! Clear your mind! Contacted her through the Force before, have you?" Yoda asked.

"Yeah, once by accident, and once on purpose," Luke told Yoda. "But Master, she sounds like she's really far away!"

"Matters not. Speak through the Force with her, you can," Yoda assured him.

"Okay, I'll try...no, no, I mean, I'll do it. Right," Luke grinned at Yoda's mildly admonishing look. This time, Leia made the contact...

_/Luke! I heard you! Are you alright?/_

_/I'm fine! Where are you?/_

_/I'm on Coruscant/_

This made Luke shake his head and glance at Yoda. "She's on Coruscant! No wonder she sounds like she's so far away!" Yoda did not change his expression. Luke went back to focus on Leia. This time, it came much easier. /_Why are you there?/_

_/Luke, did you know that Palpatine is dead?/_

Luke's shock made him lose the connection again, as he gasped out the news to Yoda and Chewie, who was on the lookout for more stormtroopers.

* * *

Meanwhile, Leia said aloud to Vader, "Looks like he didn't know that." 

"But he's alright? Is he still in the ray shield? No, wait, he's probably not, since you actually contacted him," Vader said in an excited rush.

"Careful, Father. This chamber isn't shielding me from your vibes! I can't concentrate," Leia warned him.

"Oh, sorry! Please, continue!" Vader then got an idea that maybe, _he'd _better try to make contact with someone aboard the Death Star...

* * *

Luke sat down crosslegged on the shiny floor of the corridor, leaned against a wall, and let his mind fly through space, seeking his sister's mind. His _sister_ Leia... The thought still upset him when he was caught off guard. And so, he drew a deep breath and rubbed his temple. "Do not get frustrated. Makes it even more difficult, it does," Yoda advised him. 

"You heard what she told me? The Emperor's dead! That's why Thrawn took off with the Death Star in the first place!" Luke told Yoda.

"How did he die, did she tell you?" Yoda asked.

"She didn't get to tell me, but I have this feeling that a Sith Progression took place earlier, which would explain that disturbance in the Force we felt before we left Endor, wouldn't it?" Luke sighed.

"In that case, then Vader..." Yoda began.

"Is probably in a heap of trouble!" Luke finished softly. "You think he's declared himself Emperor, don't you? He probably did. Which is the worst possible thing for him; being Emperor is no job for someone who's a paranoid control freak."

"Your wisdom, he does not have," Yoda sighed.

"If he's gone and done that, then my efforts to bring him back to the light must be doubled, at least! He cannot continue his Sith ways while running the galaxy!" Luke rushed to add when he saw Yoda's hopeless expression, "I've felt the good in him. He is not as fargone as Palpatine was!"

"Listening to Qui-Gon Jinn, you must have been!" Yoda sniffed.

"If Qui-Gon can have faith in him, then surely I can! Come on Chewie, we're done here! Let's go find Han..."

* * *

Vader remained a few more minutes, waiting for more word from Leia. But, as he suspected, she did not have the control over the Force needed to keep steady contact with Luke over such a long distance. It was not her fault; she certainly was powerful enough to do it. She just had no training. So now, he would take over, but he wouldn't be contacting his son, of course. After a few silent moments, Vader found his apprentice's mind, thousands of light years away. _/Where are you?/_

Han sensed the connection, even as he glanced beside him at the Noghri, Karbarakh, who was eyeing him just as intently. _/I'm in the brig... Thrawn caught me shooting up the control panel with the ray shield./_

_/Use the Force, my apprentice! Get away from them until the Death Star comes out of hyperspace, then you can make your escape!/_

Han quickly thought over this plan, then thought, _/Negative, I'm goin' nowhere with Luke and Yoda running around downstairs with an army chasin' them, and this...Noghri thing staring me down.../_

Vader latched quickly onto this thought. _/Noghri? Is it Rukh or Karbarakh?/_

_/Why, you know them?/_

_/The Noghri owe their allegience to me, my apprentice. He can aid you in escaping, and he can enlist his other Clan Brothers, if he has any aboard./_

_/Would you mind tellin' me what they're doin' with Thrawn then?/_

_/Thrawn was not always a traitor, my apprentice. He had earned my respect and my trust, so I gave him the Noghri who were originally my bodygaurds./_

_/Sounds complicated, but I think I get the idea. They serve you first, then him?/_

_/Exactly. Are you out of hyperspace yet?/_

_/Don't worry, Thrawn'll drop you a line as soon as he gets wherever he's going. Speaking of him, he's coming in now.../_ Han felt Vader's mind recede.

Unnerving, that, Han thought grimly as Thrawn strode into the brig, with a mild smirk on his face. "You might as well have a seat, Captain Solo, while we wait for your friends to come here. By that time, we should arrive at our destination, and I assure you, making any attempts to escape once we get to that area of space would be foolish, to say the least."

"Hey, Thrawn, you got any idea what they're gonna do to you once they catch you? Before they put you in front of the firing squad, they're gonna strip your rank!" Han warned the Grand Admiral. "It's loads of fun...no okay, that's a lie. It sucks. It sucked when they stripped me, and I was just a measley Lieutenant."

"What makes you think Darth Vader is going to let me live long enough to face a firing squad?" Thrawn asked him in a quiet, almost grim manner.

"Oh, I think he's gonna be just a tad pissed off with you," Han said. Thinking quickly, he added, "but the Emperor is gonna make him go through the motions with you. Make an example of you."

"Oh, that's right, you don't know! You must have smuggled yourselves aboard the Death Star before the news broke out. Darth Vader assasinated Palpatine roughly twelve hours ago, on Coruscant," Thrawn told Han.

Of course, Han already knew this, but he had to pretend a little longer, so he widened his eyes. "Are you sure?"

"I'd been informed (very dramatically, I might add) as soon as it happened. Vader killed the man while he was in contact with me, right on the holo screen! He was waving around a flash drive of some sort, supposedly Emperor Palpatine's Last Will and Testament. Vader _claims_ that he's the Emperor of the Galaxy now," Thrawn told him.

Han whistled softly. "Wow! Sounds like you're in trouble, Thrawn. What if Vader was telling the truth?"

"What difference does it make if Vader is a murderer?" Thrawn snapped. "Why do you think I did what I did, taking the Death Star out of Endor's orbit? It wasn't because of your pitiful Rebel Fleet, that's for certain! It was because I could not count on the Imperial Fleet not to turn on me at Vader's order! They don't know the full extent of what he did! He must be still claiming that Palpatine died of disease, which is so ridiculous!"

"You sure the old bastard's really dead? You seen his body?" Han asked. "Because, just for the record, I think a lot of people are gonna attend his funeral, just to make sure he's _really_ gone." He eyed Karbarakh again, and decided now was the time to stir up some trouble... Han asked, "Hey listen, you still got my lightsaber?"

"As a matter of fact, I do have it safely nearby, not that you need it," Thrawn reminded him.

"Yeah, but Luke and Yoda have their lightsabers still. You seen 'em?" Han asked. Thrawn raised an eyebrow. Han continued, "Did you notice that the lightsabers were green?"

"Hmm...I might have... Yes, you're right, they were green. There's a significance, isn't there?" Thrawn asked with much more interest than he'd been showing before.

"Now listen, I can't pretend to know what each color means. I know that other Jedi had different colors. Obi-Wan Kenobi and his learner, Anakin Skywalker, used to carry blue lightsabers. The late, great Jedi Master Mace Windu carried a purple one. There was only one color they would not make their lightsabers," Han ventured.

"They never made red lightsabers," Thrawn smiled.

"Don't ever let them tell you you ain't a sharp tack, Thrawn! Now, you want to know why the Jedi never carry red lightsabers?" Han asked.

"Alright, Solo, I admit that you've piqued my interest. I'm sure the reason has to do with why Vader does carry one," Thrawn answered thoughtfully.

"Again, you're right. Only Sith lords carry red lightsabers. You know anything about the Sith?" Han asked.

"Only that Vader is one," Thrawn frowned.

"The title _Darth_ means he or she is a Sith. And actually, there are only ever two Sith at one time. They used to be a whole race, I'd heard, once upon a time, but that race is long extinct. Presumably eliminated by the Jedi Order, but I could be wrong about that. Anywho, there's always a Master Sith and his or her Apprentice. Two Darths. Now, up til about twelve hours ago, Vader was actually the _Apprentice_ Sith lord."

"You mean to tell me that _Palpatine_ was a Darth as well? But, I never knew he was Force-sensitive! How do you know all this?" Thrawn demanded. It was obvious to Han that Thrawn didn't like being out of the loop.

"Palpatine, Darth Sidious. I heard he had a really big lightsaber duel with Yoda. With his _red_ lightsaber," Han pointed out. He glanced at Karbarakh, hoping the Noghri was paying attention as well.

"And he won? Indeed, he must have been powerful then. But Vader still killed him."

"Well, yeah! I mean, he had to become the Master Sith sometime, didn't he? After all, he's got an Apprentice that he's gotta make room for, doesn't he?" Han explained, as if these were the most reasonable excuses for killing the Emperor that he'd ever heard of.

"What does this have to do with our situation here?" Thrawn asked with a touch of worry in his voice.

"Thrawn, guess what color my lightsaber is?" Han grinned. As he said this, several things happened at once. First, Karbarakh's eyes widened, then narrowed. His teeth bared as he growled. Thrawn drew his blaster. Chewbacca tore through the brig's door. Luke and Yoda barreled in after the Wookiee. And then, the most awful groaning, grinding sound filled the air. The echo reverberated through everyone, and the brig's walls shuddered violently.

"We're dropping out of hyperspace!" Thrawn gasped.

"Is that sound what I think it is?" Han yelled. "This thing was never really ready for hyperspace travel, was it? We've probably got sheets of hull plating strewn all over the galaxy, don't we?" He snapped his head away from them all. There was one last message he wanted to send. _/The Death Star's falling apart. We're all gonna die any second. Tell Leia I love her, and I'm sorry!/_

_/No!/_ Vader's mind screamed as he clenched his gloved hands.


	4. Chapter 4

Legacy of the Jedi

Chapter 4: A Disruption in Communications

The Death Star's shuddering grew so violent that it sent everyone, even Master Yoda, sprawling across the brig. Han and Chewie crashed into eachother, while Luke got knocked against a wall control for the doors, which swished shut. Thrawn tried to crawl over to his communicator, which had rolled out of his pocket holder.

With one last bang, all the lights went out.

* * *

Using the Force as if he were clawing through solid darkness, Vader tried to find Han, or Luke, or even Yoda. But there was nothing! That terrible panic enveloped him, the kind that made him unable to think at all clearly. In fact, when he was able to fucus on the room in front of him again, he thought for sure he saw Sidious!

The ghostly image chuckled coldly, glaring at Vader from under his hood. "You are indeed such a fool, my apprentice. When I think of all you did to try and save that boy...from me, from himself. You should have been trying to save him from _you,_ but it's too late."

Vader hissed. Surely Palpatine did not know how to retain his identity in the netherworld, did he? Now he'd _never_ be rid of him! He clenched his gloved hands into fists, and said to the spectral figure, "Now, I finally understand the legacy of the Sith. It's a legacy of pain and loss as one acquires nearly limitless power. Power for what? What good is power if you cannot use it to fix what's broken? Oh, if only I had done what my son had always wanted me to do! Give up the title of Darth, renounce the Dark Side of the Force, become a Jedi again. It would have make Luke happy."

"Well, now, that chance is blown for good," Sidious taunted. "How you must absolutely _hate_ yourself at this moment! How useless, how pathetic! You are a _Sith!_ Face it, you will never see your son again!"

Vader didn't answer. What was the point? _He's right, isn't he?_ His sins, so numerous it would take years to recount them all, had finally produced the payback he'd been trying in vain to avoid. _My son is dead..._ Vader tried to turn away, was about to tell Leia that her brother and her space-bum boyfriend were dead, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw...no, it couldn't be!

There was another netherworld denizen in the room. It was Qui-Gon Jinn, and he was shaking his head, as though trying to silently communicate something without Sidious hearing him or noticing him. But Vader had thought he'd never seen Qui-gon again after all the horror he had caused over the years. He shook his own head, blinked, and Qui-Gon vanished.

But Sidious was still there, cackling. _"You want me to think I've lost him, but I'm not giving up hope. Get out of my sight, you son of a bitch! I can't even stand looking at you!"_ Eventually, Sidious faded away, still cackling madly.

Leia came into the room. "Who are you talking to?"

"The only one we need to talk to is your brother. If only we could..."

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi, aboard the _Phoenix,_ suddenly got a vague sense of deep grief. He opened his eyes, which had been lightly closed as he meditated. He could see that the ship was in hypserspace. His companion at the moment, one Wrenga Jixton, was busy catching up on whatever news he had downloaded onto his datapad before they entered hyperspace.

"You know, Vader's not gonna have an easy time of it. There's a load of people who would have pulled a Thrawn if only they had a Death Star," Jixton joked.

Obi-Wan replied dryly, "Since Thrawn beat them to it, Vader will have to make a good example of him to the rest of the galaxy. And the Rebel Alliance will never tolerate his rule, I can assure you of that."

"Hmph, the Rebel Alliance. You know, if anything happens to that Skywalker kid, I have a feeling the Alliance is finished. I for one, will not be sorry to see them go, either," Jixton frowned.

"They are the only hope for freedom in this galaxy, Jixton. I wouldn't be so eager to see them leave," Obi-Wan warned him.

Jixton turned his dark eyes onto Obi-Wan in a rare moment of seriousness. "You know, I trained a lot of those guys myself. I used to be a combat trainer at the Academy, and I remember a lot of those jerks who went and took what I taught them to fight for something I don't beleive in. It pisses me off to think about it."

"Well, then you certainly understand how I feel about Vader," Obi-Wan snapped.

Jixton didn't seem to hear him. "Especially morons like that Solo! You want to talk about wasted potential, he should be a walking poster boy for how you should _not_ go about life! He had it all, and lost it. Over what? Some stupid dispute over a Wookiee? It's unreal!"

"He was fighting for an ideal. But fear not, Mr. Jixton. I think Han Solo had lost his idealism..." Obi-Wan said darkly.

"Not if he's aboard the Death Star, he hasn't. As for Vader, he's just crazy," Jix sighed.

"Yet you serve him," Obi-Wan observed.

"Yeah, well, he and I, we've got a deal going. As long as he keeps his end of the deal, I keep mine. Although, if he's actually going to be the Emperor, then his deal with me is kind of a moot point. He's supposed to keep a certain place secret from the Empire. A certain planet. But, he _is_ the Empire now. Maybe he'll just forget about it. I'm sure he's got a million and one things going on..." Jix trailed off. Obi-Wan's concentration trailed off as well.

_That grief I sensed was from Ani. Has something happened?_ Obi-Wan reached out with the Force, trying to sense Luke, his other former Padawan.

* * *

Points of light. For a few moments, that was all Luke Skywalker could see. He felt like he was floating. What were the lights from? His eyes were making an adjustment, so soon, he could see the contours of control panels. But why were they _below_ him?

He brushed against a smaller sized living being. "Huh?" he gasped, as he could barely make out a set of glinting sharp teeth set in an alien face. _Oh, no, it's that Noghri that Master Yoda had warned us about before!_ Luke began to manuever away from him, even though all the creature seemed to be doing at the moment was sniffing. As Luke backed away, the Noghri pursued.

"I'm warning you, I don't want trouble. We've got to get out of here," Luke said. "Master Yoda! Are you here?"

"I smell...Vader? But how?" the Noghri asked.

Luke was about to stammer out some sort of lame excuse when Master Yoda called out, "Luke, here, I am."

"Are you floating too?" Luke asked as he struggled to cross the dark divide between himself and Yoda's voice.

"Lost many system controls, we must have. But not all," Yoda explained. _Of course,_ Luke realized, _that's why there were still some lights on the control panels._

"Master, let's try and find everyone else. Han, Chewie? You around here?" _Why aren't they answering?_ A lone "Ugh," came from somewhere to Luke's right, but it didn't sound like Chewie or Han.

And then, Luke sensed Obi-Wan's presence in his mind. _/Luke, are you alright? What's got your father so upset?/_

_/What's he upset about? I'm the one floating around in the dark! Master Yoda's with me, and so's Thrawn, but I still don't have any contact from Han or Chewbacca./_

_/Was there an accident?/_ Obi-Wan asked.

_/Well, let's put it this way. We're out of hyperspace. But I don't know where we wound up./_

_/Luke, you need to get contact to someone, anyone, who can trace where the Death Star is now!/_

_/Right. Let's see if I can get to the control panel and try to make contact; I don't think I'll get a signal on my comlink over here, this deep in the Death Star. We're all in the brig, by the way./_

_/Good work Luke, just keep reporting to me. May the Force be with you./_

Luke focused on the control panels. During his training with the Rebel alliance, back when he first joined up, he was taught how to manuever even under zero-g conditions. Luke began a few careful flips. Soon, he crashed right into Thrawn. "Oops! Excuse me, Admiral."

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Thrawn demanded.

"I'm going to contact either the Rebel Fleet or the _Phoenix_ if I can," Luke answered.

"Like hell you are!" Thrawn growled, grabbing out toward where Luke stood suspended in midair hovering over the control panel. A growling Nogrhi emerged suddenly from behind Luke, catching them both off guard.

_"No, Thrawn, you will obey the son of Vader!"_ the Noghri announced.

"Karbarakh! Have you lost your mind?" Thrawn gasped as the Noghri launched himself from Luke's back to Thrawn's midsection.

"No, you will stay back, Traitor! Son of Vader, make your call," Karbarakh told Luke.

Thrawn's red eyes glared through the virtual darkness. Luke tried valiantly not to squirm, but only managed a weak, "Um, right..." Hot under the collar, Luke began pushing buttons, trying to find anyone friendly to whom he could reach out...

* * *

Sorry I took so long to update. SOS..LOL 


	5. Chapter 5

Legacy fo the Jedi

Chapter 5: Picking up the Pieces

The calls began quickly after news broke out that the Death Star might have actually stopped somewhere. The media were clamoring for any scrap of information that anyone might have. And since Darth Vader was also now the _acting_ Emperor, the crowd that converged upon the steps of the Imperial palace was nothing short of a frenzied mob. Leia Organa, former Senator of Alderaan, was doing everything she could, out with the reporters, to keep them from charging the palace.

And the only reason she was doing that was because her father was certainly not idle inside. He was keeping in constant contact with _Executor_ hoping beyond hope that Admiral Piett's skills and the Super Star Destroyer's powerful scope might be able to pick up a signal from the Death Star. So there was no speaking to reporters for him. Which was really bad, as it turned out, for the Rebel Alliance...

"Is your presence here indication that the Alliance shows support for Vader's assumption of control?" one reporter demanded.

"My presence here during this time of crisis should in no way be construed as a show of support for Vader as Emperor. The Rebel Alliance will not show support for anyone who has not been elected by the people of the galaxy!" Leia answered, but saw the doubt in many people's eyes as she said it. How was she ever going to explain this to Mon Mothma?

"Is it true that Palpatine has been assasinated?" another asked, not for the first time, if not actually the tenth.

"I don't beleive wild speculation on his death is appropriate at this time. However, it is my understanding that he had been suffering from a long illness. His abscence from the public eye in the past several months might be attributed to that," Leia snapped.

"Why weren't we told?" one more asked.

"Again, idle speculation in the face of..." Leia began to protest. Skies! She knew it would be bad. But as she tried to speak again, she found the words just couldn't come. Mon Mothma's disapproval was actually the very least of Leia's problems.

As for Vader, he paced the Communications Room while speaking to the _Executor._

"As I've been saying, my lord Emperor, Thrawn's emails seem to have no indication of what his plans had been," Piett reported ruefully.

Vader's helmet sunk. "Well, it was worth a shot, I suppose..."

On the other end, there came some sort of small commotion, then Piett returned his attention to Vader. "My lord, I've been told that we've picked up a signal from the Death Star."

_It's Luke, I know it's my Luke!_ Vader's heart was leaping. "Piett, take care of it personally! Whoever it is, I want you to handle it!"

Meanwhile, on the Death Star, the lack of light was suddenly rectified by a bright holoscreen that jumped to life. Thrawn squirmed; it was none other than Admiral Piett. Luke struggled not to shrink under the larger than life image as well.

"This is Admiral Piett in command of the Super Star Destroyer _Executor._ We're in the process of locking down the location of your signal," the image began. Then, he suddenly looked a bit shocked. Luke noticed, right our of the corner of his eye, Thrawn smirking with triumph. Not a good thing to see from someone being pinned down by a Noghri that just announced to the whole ship that Luke Skywalker was actually Darth Vader's son!

"What is so funny, Thrawn? Where are we?" Luke demanded.

"See what you new _Emperor_ is going to do about this one!" Thrawn called out to Piett's large screen image with nasty merriment in his voice.

And so, Peitt turned back to his communication with Vader. "My Lord Emperor, we've established contact with the Death Star. Thrawn is alive, but appears to ba a captive of a rebel force that had infiltrated the ship."

"Excellent! How do you know it's the Rebel Alliance that has captured him?"

"I'm quite certain the young man who initiated the communication was Luke Skywalker, my Lord Emperor," Piett answered. Vader was so relieved that he nearly leapt for joy, but he naturally didn't dare just yet.

"Admiral, where is the Death Star?" Vader asked instead.

"That's the bad news, my Lord Emperor. It's been taken to the Corporate Sector, and is orbiting one of the planets in that territory now," Piett frowned.

Firey irritation burned Vader's stomach. "No doubt, the Authority will see this as an attack on their sovereignty. Fortunately, I know for a fact that the laser is not operational, and we can tell their government that when they inevitably contact me." _Still, it makes me look like a fool, like I have no control over my own navy!_

* * *

Han finally began to awaken. He'd been knocked out from a blow to his head. When he opened his eyes, he noticed he was floating. "Ugh, Chewie? What's goin' on? Is everybody alright?"

"Han! I'm coming to you, don't move!" That from Luke, who flipped from the control panel upward to one of the darkest corners of the ceiling. "Come on, you and Chewie can hang on to me. We're going to get out of here..."

"You know, I wouldn't be so hasty about that," Thrawn called out.

"Why not?" Luke asked.

"Because you fool, we're sealed in here. It's airtight. I have a notion that most of the other areas of the Death Star have already lost their air. We're trapped in here."

Luke felt a twinge of doubt creep into his soul. He didn't get all the way here just to get killed by suffocation! _/Master Obi-Wan?/_

_/Yes, Luke! I hear you! What is it?/_

_/We need you. We're trapped in the brig. I've made a transmission somewhere, but I don't know where we are./_

_/Don't worry, Luke. We're coming for you. Just tell everyone to hold on. Is everyone that you were with alright?/_

_/Yes. There's also Thrawn, and a Noghri bodyguard of my father's. I have a bad feeling that there's no one else left alive on this station. I can sense it through the Force.../_

_/What a disaster! Alright, Luke. We're going to pick up vac suits for the remaining survivors, then we're coming to get you. May the Force be with you./_

Jixton eyed Obi-Wan. The Jedi Master seemed to be coming out of a trance. "You done?" he asked.

"Just one more person. Then, we'll be by _Executor_ won't we?"

"Yep, we're dropping out of hyperspace in about 0500."

"Good. That's very good..." Obi-Wan trailed off. Then, he ventured forth with the Force. He'd never done this before, and he couldn't believe it had never crossed his mind to do so. Of all the essences on Coruscant, surely hers would be a shining light..._/Leia, can you hear me?/_

Leia was between questions again. Surely for her to hear Obi-Wan's voice in her mind was just a trick, from overtiredness or from stress. But even so, she latched onto it, like someone would cling to a rock during a storm at sea. _/Leia, you don't need to answer me. I wanted to tell you that I've heard from Luke, and he and everyone else in the scouting party is alright. I wanted you to know that./_

Leia's hands began to shake, so she steadied them at her sides, trying to keep from bursting out crying. "Forgive me, I must be excused until the next briefing," she stammered, then stalked away, leaving the thousands of reporters behind to clamor and scream out questions that would not get answered. _Thank you my beloved Obi-Wan..._

* * *

"Okay then. We need to get ready for the rescue party. Come on, everybody try to get to the doors. Han is your comlink working? We'll need it to send as many signals to this area of the ship as possible," Luke told him.

"Sorry Luke, it got taken when I was captured," Han sighed.

"Yeah, I guess that was bound to happen. Well, my comlink is working, but it's only got enough battery for a few more hours," Luke admitted.

"Hmph, always with you, never remember to charge up!" Yoda huffed. "Lightsaber is charged up, I hope!"

"Yes, sorry Master Yoda. I should be more careful--" Luke was cut off by loud banging. The fear in the brig intensified a thousandfold at the sounds. And then, thankfully, the banging stopped. Luke sure hoped this station held together long enough to get everyone out alive.

_Sorry this took so long to get posted. I've been moving, and it was difficult. But now I'm settled in, on vacay, and I've got time to update some stuff. Next chappie will have alot more action, promise!_


	6. Chapter 6

Legacy of the Jedi

Chapter 6: The Death Star Adventure, part 1

_Executor_ received the _Phoenix_ as per Emperor Vader's orders, then immediately departed for the system where the rogue Grand Admiral Thrawn had taken the Death Star. Admiral Piett should have appeared nearly overcome by all the things that have occurred over the last ten hours, but Obi-Wan watched him closely and saw no signs of confusion about the man. _This one's a good man,_ the Jedi master mused. _Ani might just be able to pull this off if he's got a few of this type of officer at his disposal._ Funny how he was starting to think of Vader as Anakin again. That was not only funny, though. It was dangerous.

"I haven't heard about any more calls from any other survivors. I'm thinking that Skywalker and his group might be the only survivors." Obi-Wan heard the words, and knew they were probably true. In which case, he and Jixton were going into the middle of a floating graveyard. He looked down at his own hands. How could he have not seen the Force in them before? He was _alive!_ How could Anakin have tricked him so easily?

"Look, Admiral, we don't know for sure until we get there, but even if the worst happened, and we lost just about everybody, Vader's orders were to get any survivors out of there," Jixton reminded him.

"Indeed. To that end, we've prepared for the possibility that we'll have to send probes inside, scanning section by section, looking for active life forms. Once they're located, retrival operations will begin," Piett explained.

"Yeah, as long as the Authority doesn't start getting in our faces," Jixton mumbled.

"I don't believe that will be a problem. The Emperor has support, and I am confident that he will be able to convince the government of the Corporate Sector that this is not an act of war on the Empire's part," Piett countered.

"This will certainly be Vader's first big test as Emperor, won't it?" Obi-Wan mused aloud.

"That's enough of that rebel talk out of you, sir!" Piett snapped. "Now, you said that you think they were located in the brig? That would confirm what the report on the tracking on the communicator they used said; the serial numbers matched. That's good for them, at least for now. Bad for us, as we try to get them out..."

"What's the brig connected to?" Jix asked.

"Lots and lots of hallways, sir, that are most likely completely free of oxygen. How we will get to them, and how we will be able to supply them with vac suits to make the rest of the trip out of there, are going to be our two biggest challenges," Piett admitted.

"There is always a way, Admiral. The Force is with us that they survived this long," Obi-Wan said.

For a moment, Piett just stared at Kenobi. And then, he breathed, "You're a Jedi like the Skywalker boy, aren't you?"

"Actually, I'm Skywalker's Jedi Master. I was also Vader's Jedi Master, just for the sake of trivia," Obi-Wan smirked.

"You're the lord Emperor's Jedi Master? That is certainly why he sent you! I had no idea that you were still among the living! If he sent you, then you certainly will succeed!" Piett declared. He actually looked quite relieved.

Obi-Wan was a bit surprised by this. "You have a great deal of faith in Vader, don't you?" he commented.

"I've worked with him many times, on many missions, and he has never let me or his men down. With him come the rest of the top people, as well. All of us have always known a mission was serious if Vader was to lead it. The late Emperor knew this quite well, too," Piett answered, then moved off. He had little time to chat with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Once they reached the star system of the Corporate Sector that the Death Star orbited like a dark moon, Obi-Wan and Jixton had already formed a plan..."Piett's a good guy, but he's by the book, and I'm beginning to think that we can't wait to have probes search the place. By the time he gets done with Imperial procedure, they might run out of air. You think maybe we ought to just go on ahead with the _Phoenix_ to get them out of the brig, since we know already that they're there?" Jix asked.

"Makes sense to me. Get the vac suits we need, and then meet me aboard the Phoenix!" Obi-Wan told him.

But once aboard the Nubian ship, Obi-Wan began to have a few reservations about the plan they'd concocted. As he put on his vac suit, he explained to Jixton, "I'm afraid I'm not the best pilot in the galaxy. Some of those corridors, even the larger ones, are going to be difficult to navigate," Obi-Wan admitted.

"Oh, geez. You're asking the wrong person for help, you know. The only way I can really fly is on autopilot. Getting them out of the brig, that's going to be a snap for me. Getting to the brig in the first place will be a bitch."

Obi-Wan instantly thought of Ani. _Getting into the brig would be a snap for him!_ But he was on Coruscant! Even if he were to come out here, to this remote system, he'd never get there in time to save Luke and the others. Obi-Wan would _have_ to do the piloting! But maybe... The Jedi Master reached out into the Force, seeking his former padawan, his former Jedi brother...

_/Anakin? Can you hear me from so far away?/_

From thousands of light years away, a soft voice slipped into Darth Vader's mind. It was no mistake whose voice it was. _/Master?/_

_/Anakin, I need you. We need to save Luke and the others, trapped in the brig of the Death Star. To get there, Jixton and I need to fly as close as possible to the brig's location in order to get some vac suits to them and get them out. But your piloting skills are so much better than mine, I need you to guide me through those close spaces with the Phoenix./_

_/Say no more. I shall be in my meditation chamber at once. Keep your mind open to mine, and we will navigate those corridors together./_

Obi-Wan hoped he was doing the right thing. Opening his mind to Vader was a risky proposition at best. But then again, his own padawan's mind would to be open to him, wouldn't it?

Very interesting, that could be...

A few minutes later, Obi-Wan dimly heard Anakin in his mind. _/Are you ready?/_

_/Yes, Ani. We're heading to the Death Star now. We expect to be taking the north pole in./_

Vader bit his lip under his helmet. _/Better nix that idea, you'll never get the Phoenix far enough into the station to reach the brig without getting killed. You'll need to take one of the paths originating from the equator. Preferably the east, that should take you closer than any of the others./_

Obi-Wan gulped a bit as he flew the _Phoenix_ closer to the surface. For a silent moment, he contemplated the fact that Luke had done something like this a few years back, on another Death Star. _/Can you see what I'm looking at, Anakin?/_

_/It's very dim, but yes, I can see. Going in is the easy part, Obi-Wan. It's when you start navigating through every nook and cranny of the Death Star that you'll need my guidance./_

Obi-Wan slowly piloted the _Phoenix_ through the eastern entrance. With the scanner on, he could see a holgraphic diagram of his current location, and he immediately noticed what Ani was talking about. The passages seemed to get narrower and narrower. He had to struggle not to allow fear to creep into his heart. He was never the greatest pilot, and this task he'd taken upon himself would be difficult for Rogue Squadron! Jixton seemed a bit too mellow; most likely, he had no clue about how unsure Obi-Wan was.

Obi-Wan thought to himself, _Use the Force. The Force is my ally, and a powerful ally it is. Let the Force flow through me!_ He meditated on these simple, powerful words as he began his flight deeper into the Death Star. _/Obi-Wan. I can see the corridors much more clearly now! If you go right, you can pick up some speed!/_ The Force could tell Obi-Wan, in it's own way, that Ani was correct. So, he veered right, the _Phoenix_ slid through the pass, and Jixton began to slouch in his seat.

"Piece of cake," Jix smiled. Obi-Wan paid him no mind. The Force, along with Anakin's guiding words, were all he needed.

Luke began to sense a strong presence of the Force. "Master Yoda, can you feel it too?" he asked softly, not wanting to use too much air.

"Yes, it is Obi-Wan, we sense," the Jedi Master answered.

"Can he sense you two?" Han asked them.

"Sure," Luke answered. "In fact, I think he needs a beacon." Luke closed his eyes and merged his consciousness with the Force. Reaching out to Obi-Wan, he found not only the Jedi Master but another consciousness that was very far away yet somehow amplified by the Force itself. _"Father?"_ he whispered so softly that only Force-enhanced ears could hear them. How happy Luke felt at that moment! The only thing that linked them all together was the most powerful thing of all, the Force! _/I'm here! We're all here, and we're all waiting for you./_

* * *

_Note: Thanks for your patience while I get myself more settled. I'm kind of trying to work on three different stories in three different fandoms, so I update as regularly as I can while working with more than one plot. Have a great Fourth of July!_


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